The Adventures of Tessa and Jem
by CityofClockworkAngels
Summary: Tessa and Jem are both living in the 21st century. Tessa brings Jem along on all sorts of adventures in the modern world. This is a collection of oneshots and short stories about all the things they do. JESSA
1. Coffee and Skates

**Hello everyone!**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **This will just be a series of oneshot about Jem and Tessa doing a bunch of stuff in the 21st century that he'd never done before.**

 **Sorry if I don't post these as often as I'd post a regular fanfic.**

 **I hope you like it!**

"Tessa, please explain to me what I am about to drink and why it looks so odd." Jem picked up the Starbucks Frappuccino and examined it.

"One, it's a Frappuccino, and that is how it's supposed to look. Two, just drink it, and you'll find out. This is chocolate flavored," Tessa said waving her hand, gesturing for him to drink the cold liquid.

"I don't—"

"Just do it, already!" Tessa pushed the drink towards him, and he reluctantly took a sip.

"This is amazing!" Jem drank some more. "Why have you never brought me to this..." He looked at the sign. "This mysterious Starbucks."

Tessa laughed which made Jem smile. He loved to make her laugh.

"We can go ice skating later if you want." She grabbed her steaming drink and took a sip.

"I... I don't know," he said worriedly.

"Why? It's fun. You should try it," she said grabbing his hand from across the table they sat at.

"Fine. I'll ice skate, but I won't be very good."

"Neither am I, but no one really cares. Half the people on the rink can't skate," she told him reassuringly.

"If you say so." He took another sip, then said, "This is delicious." Tessa laughed again.

"Okay, now, put one foot on the ice and grab onto the wall."

"Tessa, I can't do this." Jem looked absolutely petrified.

"Come on, it's easy." The ice was very fresh at the park. There wasn't many people there in the early afternoon. Only a couple families and their kids.

"No, it is not!" He managed to get both his feet on the ice now, but he was clinging to the wall as if it was life or death.

"Give me your hands," she said. He looked up at Tessa with wide eyes. She held out her hands for Jem to take.

He grabbed onto her, and she started skating backwards. She pulled him along as his legs wobbled.

"I thought you said you weren't good? You can skate backwards when I'm having trouble standing."

"I've been trying a lot of new things since the nineteenth century." She gave him a sad smile.

"Want to try on your own?" Tessa asked. Jem replied with a furious shake of his head. She gave him a smirk and let go of his hands. His eyes widened for a second, then he realized he was doing it. He was skating.

Then, Tessa said, "You have to skate, Jem."

"I am."

"No, you have to move your feet."

"What," he said baffled, "I have to move my feet too!"

"Yes," she said smiling. "Come on." She came back over to him and grabbed his hand. They skated side by side until Jem could go on his own.

"Umm... Tess?"

"Ya?"

"How do you stop?" She saw a tinge of panic in his eyes.

"The easiest ways is to right up to the wall and then turn." Jem looked at the wall and skated toward it. Then, right when he got to the wall, when he was supposed to turn, he didn't.

"Jem, you have to turn." I said as he hit the wall. He fell back onto the ice. Tessa skated over and stopped right next to him. "Are you alright?" She crouched down next to him.

"Ohh, I'm great," he said. Tessa stood back up and held out her hand. Jem took it, and she helped him up.

"Do you want to go back to Starbucks and try something else?" Tessa asked him as they reached the rink's exit.

"Ohh, please," he replied giddily.

 **Please review if you like it. Also if you have any ideas for another oneshot I could make.**


	2. Movies and Pizza

**Hello!**

 **Just saying that when you read this, there will be ABSOLUTELY NO SPOILERS TO STAR WARS. I said nothing about the movie, even though it may seem like there is a spoiler, there is NOT.**

 **I wouldn't do that to y'all.**

 **Happy reading!**

"Popcorn or candy?"

"Umm... popcorn."

Tessa picked up the medium bucket of popcorn and a box of Snowcaps for herself.

"So what kind of movie are we going to see?"

"You'll see when we get there."

Tessa paid for the snack and two bottles of Coke. They walked into the theater and sat down in the blue cloth seats towards the middle.

"Let me just tell you, the theaters are much better than in the apartment on the tv," she said thrilled for Jem to see his first movie in the theaters.

"This is quite exciting." He smiled.

Just before the trailers began, Jem grabbed Tessa's hand.

 _Coming soon to theaters near you,_ the screen read.

Jem's eyes were wide for all the trailers. They showed previews for movies like Black Panther, Ready Player One, and Paddington 2.

As the movie was about to start, Tessa whispered into Jem's ear, "Remember the time we watched those eight movies in one day?"

Jen nodded.

Then, on cue, the music began. The Star Wars theme song rang through the theater.

 _STAR WARS The Last Jedi_

Words began to appear on the screen and drift off into the starry abyss.

"This is amazing." Jem was even more wide-eyed than before.

Tessa nodded in agreement and ate a handful of her Snowcaps.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Leaving the theater, Jem blubbered on about the excitement of the movie.

"Oh, Tessa it was so amazing. We should go to see more movies. Ready Player One looked good in the trailer."

Tessa gave a chuckle at his amazement.

They smiled as they walked to a restaurant Jem had never noticed was there.

As they stepped through the door, they both sniffed the pizza-smelling air.

"A table for two?" The waitress asked once they came inside.

"Yes, please," they said simultaneously. They looked at each other, grinned, and followed the waitress to a small table with two wooden chairs, one on either side.

She placed the menus down and asked, "What will you both be drinking tonight?"

Tessa and Jem gave their answers before the waitress left.

"This place has the best Chicago style deep dish pizza in New York."

Jem nodded. "So," he said looking at the menu, "People actually get anchovies on pizza?"

"Well, you could get whatever you want on it."

"Can we just get regular then?"

"You can get whatever you want. I'll eat any kind of pizza."

"Even pineapple?" Jem didn't seem to like the idea of pineapple chunks on a pizza.

"Even pineapple."

The waitress came back with their drinks. She put them on the table as she asked, "Are you two ready to order?"

"Yes," Jem said, "Can we just get a plain small pizza?"

"He means cheese," Tessa said almost bursting out in laughter. "We'll have a small cheese pizza."

Tessa contained all laughter until the waitress left with the menus.

She let out a giggle.

"What?" Jem asked. "What did I do?"

"Nothing." She let out a long breath, calming herself. "Nothing, it's just..." He raised his eyebrows waiting for a response. "You don't say plain pizza. It's cheese pizza."

"But isn't that obvious, because cheese is on every pizza."

"Well, yeah, but I...you don't...just say cheese pizza, not plain. Okay?"

He smiled and replied, "Okay."

Then, the awaited pizza arrived.

"It's very hot," the waitress warned, "The pan is too."

"Thank you."

Both Jem and Tessa's mouthes were watering as they cut the beautifully delicious pizza. At the same time, they both took a glorious bite.

"This is the best food I've ever eaten. In all my life. Nothing. Tops. This." Jem didn't look to be exaggerating.

Tessa gave a short laugh, but didn't seem to slow down eating the pizza either.

The devoured the divine pizza quickly. There was not a heavenly slice left in the pan.

"If this is what everything tastes like in Chicago, we must go there."

"Oh, Jem." Tessa said teasingly, "It's better." She wasn't lying. "They have the best deep dish pizza in Chicago. We could even go to the place it was invented. The renowned Uno's Pizza."

"Ohh, Chicago. When will I see thine awesomeness."

 **If you couldn't already tell, I love deep dish pizza. (Its very good).**

 **There also might have been a hint to an upcoming oneshot in this one. ;)**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chicago: Part 1

**_Part 1_**

"Remember the day we saw Star Wars and went to get that Chicago-style pizza?" Tessa asked over the cacophony of voices in the small cafe.

"Of course," Jem replied, recollecting fond memories of the warm spring day. They sat on a loveseat near the window.

"Well," Tessa smiled, "I remember you saying how you wanted to go to Chicago to try the pizza there. And I started thinking..."

Jem raised his eyebrows. It wasn't always the best thing when Tessa was thinking.

"That we should visit for a few days!"

"Tess, that would be great!" Jem put his mug of tea down on the dark wood coffee table in front of them.

They kissed each other lightly, holding the other in their embrace for a quick moment.

"Alright." She was practically beaming with excitement.

Tessa slid over on the crimson leather loveseat and leaned against Jem.

She sighed, took a sip of her tea, and said, "This'll be wonderful."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Are you sure we have everything?"

"Yes, Jem, I'm quite sure. Don't be so anxious."

They sat in one of the smaller planes with only two seats on each side. Jem was on the window side per Tessa's request. She'd told him it would 'enhance the experience.'

"I'm sorry," Jem let out a breath. "It's just scary to think that I'll soon be thirty thousand feet above ground."

"You won't be so nervous when we come back. It gets much easier after the first time," Tessa reassured him while patting his shoulder encouragingly.

"How many times have you been on a plane?" Jem gave Tessa a you-are-crazy-to-ever-even-think-about-doing-this-more-than-once look.

"I do believe that you are forgetting that I've been around since planes were invented." She added, "I do prefer portaling, but this adds to the mundaneness, if you will, of the trip."

Jem scoffed at that, but they both ended up laughing.

The flight attendants then explained all of the emergency procedures. Soon, the airplane began to roll down the runway.

Jem gripped the arm of the seat with one hand and Tessa's hand with the other.

His knuckles went white as the plane began to drift slightly off the concrete ground.

He was holding Tessa's hand excruciatingly hard, but she didn't mind as long as it helped him feel less frightened.

He released Tessa's hand and mumbled, "I'm sorry." He still gripped the seat's arm with all his strength.

"Don't be." She grabbed his hand again and entwined his fingers with her own. "Look," she breathed, staring out the glass at the breathtaking view.

Jem turned in his seat and looked through the window careful not to block Tessa's view.

He gazed out the glass to see the beautiful New York City landscape. They were flying over suburbs and could see the thriving metropolitan area in the distance.

The sun, having set, cast a violet color onto the sky mixed with the infinite blues of twilight.

"Beautiful," was all he could get out, and even then it was only a breath.

The city, now miniaturized from the distance, was only a silhouette below the darkening sky.

When the buildings were hidden by the turn of the earth, Jem noticed Tessa asleep, resting on his shoulder.

He stared out the window, watching the rolling fields and small towns until there was nothing but clouds in the sky.

Jem pulled a novel out of his bag and started to read. It was one suggested by Tessa. A novel by Cassandra Clare.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Tessa, wake up," Jem whispered to the sleeping brunette beside him.

"What?" she asked groggily.

Jem replied, "We're about to land."

Now Jem wasn't afraid at all. The takeoff had made him feel much better about riding on planes.

Blinking her eyes, Tessa came back to reality.

"Sorry, what was that?"

Jem gave a short laugh. "We're here."

Her gray eyes widened. "I slept that whole time." He nodded. "Wow."

"That's not very surprising. You always fall asleep if we go anywhere that takes over a half hour."

Tessa lightly hit his arm, but she was smiling.

When they had both gotten their two small suitcases from the baggage carousel, they exited the airport and walked to the train.

They rode it all the way downtown. Tessa, quite unastonishingly, slept on the train.

She awoke to Jem tapping her shoulder.

They stepped off the train and walked down the street to the hotel they'd be staying in for the next few days.

After checking into their room and unpacking a bit, Tessa and Jem both plopped down on the bed.

Seconds after climbing under the covers, they were both out like a light.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Tessa and Jem walked down the street looking in the shops.

It was almost noon when they began to feel hungry. "Do you want to get that pizza?"

"Yes, if I don't eat now, I'll surely starve," Tessa exaggerated.

"Well, we don't want that." Jem smiled at Tessa, who returned the favor.

"We are off to Uno's!" Tessa pointed a finger into the air.

They entered the pizza parlor and ordered their pizza almost immediately.

"So what do you want to do here?" Tessa asked. Then she added, "Besides going to the beach, the Sear's—I mean Willis tower, and going to Millennium Park. We're doing those things, but what else?"

"Umm…" Jem thought for a moment. "The Ferris wheel. You said before that they redid it for the anniversary."

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot. We _have_ to go down to Navy Pier for the Ferris wheel."

After a little while more of planning the next few days, the immense pizza came.

They cut into it as if it were their last meal. Jem sighed as he took his first bite. "If heaven had a flavor…" he said extremely satisfied with the pizza.

Tessa devoured her first piece and said, "I couldn't live without deep dish pizza."

After eating the marvelous pizza, Tessa and Jem walked to the Ferris wheel where they waited in a long line for about forty minutes.

It was the busiest time of year, it being early summer.

"Finally," Tessa exhaled. They both entered the blue compartment and sat down.

"It has AC, Tessa! We can escape this unbearable heat."

Jem and Tessa sat in the car watching the unmoving skyscrapers as they spinned round and round.

The lake was impossibly blue, a cobalt color.

The people were ants from up that high, yet neither of them were at all scared holding each other's hand.

 _This will be a good trip,_ Tessa thought to herself looking at the pale blue of the sky.

 **Hello y'all!**

 **Did you like the little thing I put in there about Jem's novel? (I hope so)**

 **Thanks for reading!!!!!! I'll try to finish this short story soon.**


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